One stereotype of Germans is that we are punctual. Indeed, it is considered to be impolite in German culture to be late when you have an appointment with somebody. So whenever you are late it is always advisable to call or text the person you will meet and let him or her know that you cannot make it in time.<\/p>\n
So how do you ask for time in German? Well, there are at least two possibilities. You can either ask:<\/p>\n
\u201cWie sp\u00e4t ist es?\u201d (lit. How late is it?)<\/p>\n
or<\/p>\n
\u201cWieviel Uhr ist es?\u201d (lit. How much is the clock?)<\/p>\n
Your answer should start out with:<\/p>\n
\u201cEs ist\u2026\u201d (It is\u2026)<\/p>\n
Telling full hours is quite easy. All you have to do is to add a number and the German word \u201cUhr\u201d (clock) to the sentence above. This will result in the following:<\/p>\n
Es ist ein Uhr. \u2013 It\u2019s one o\u2019clock.<\/p>\n
Es ist zwei Uhr. \u2013 It\u2019s two o\u2019clock.<\/p>\n
Es ist drei Uhr. \u2013 It\u2019s three o\u2019clock.<\/p>\n
\u2026 vier \u2026 \u2013 \u2026 four \u2026<\/p>\n
\u2026 f\u00fcnf \u2026 \u2013 \u2026 five \u2026<\/p>\n
\u2026 sechs \u2026 \u2013 \u2026 six \u2026<\/p>\n
\u2026 sieben \u2026 \u2013 \u2026 seven \u2026<\/p>\n
\u2026 acht \u2026 \u2013 \u2026 eight \u2026<\/p>\n
\u2026 neun \u2026 \u2013 \u2026 nine \u2026<\/p>\n
\u2026 zehn \u2026 \u2013 \u2026 ten \u2026<\/p>\n
\u2026 elf \u2026 \u2013 \u2026 eleven \u2026<\/p>\n
Es ist zw\u00f6lf Uhr (mittags). \u2013 It\u2019s twelve o\u2019clock (at noon).<\/p>\n
Probably you know that in Germany often the 24-hour system is used, which is also known as military time. We use this system because there is no equivalent of the English a.m. and p.m. Thus, in order to avoid any misunderstandings we continue with the number 13 to count the hours from noon onwards.<\/p>\n
Es ist dreizehn Uhr. (13) \u2013 It\u2019s one p.m.<\/p>\n
Es ist vierzehn Uhr. (14) \u2013 It\u2019s two p.m.<\/p>\n
Es ist f\u00fcnfzehn Uhr. (15) \u2013 It\u2019s three p.m.<\/p>\n
\u2026 sechszehn \u2026 (16) \u2013 \u2026 sixteen \u2026<\/p>\n
\u2026 siebzehn \u2026 (17) \u2013 \u2026 seventeen \u2026<\/p>\n
\u2026 achtzehn \u2026 (18) \u2013 \u2026 eighteen \u2026<\/p>\n
\u2026 neunzehn \u2026 (19) \u2013 \u2026 nineteen \u2026<\/p>\n
\u2026 zwanzig \u2026 (20) \u2013 \u2026 twenty \u2026<\/p>\n
\u2026 einundzwanzig \u2026 (21) \u2013 \u2026 twenty-one \u2026<\/p>\n
\u2026 zweiundzwanzig \u2026 (22) \u2013 \u2026twenty-two \u2026<\/p>\n
\u2026 dreiundzwanzig \u2026 (23) \u2013 \u2026 twenty-three \u2026<\/p>\n
Es ist vierundzwanzig Uhr. \/ Es ist null Uhr. (24 \/ 0)\u2013 It\u2019s twelve mn.<\/p>\n
As you can see, there are two ways to say that it is midnight. You can either say it\u2019s \u201c24 o\u2019clock\u201d<\/em> or \u201c0 o\u2019clock\u201d. <\/em>Additionally, you have the option to say: \u201cEs ist zw\u00f6lf Uhr nachts.\u201d (It\u2019s twelve at midnight.)<\/p>\n Note that in colloquial language we do not necessarily use the 24-hour system but very often start with number 1 at 13:00.<\/p>\n When we Germans make an appointment with friends, for example, that we will meet the next day um 9 Uhr<\/em><\/strong> (at 9 o\u2019clock) we usually specify that time with fr\u00fch<\/em><\/strong> (morning) or abend<\/em><\/strong> (evening):<\/p>\n Bis morgen fr\u00fch um 9 (Uhr). \u2013 See you tomorrow morning at 9 (o\u2019clock).<\/p>\n Bis morgen abend um 9 (Uhr). \u2013 See you tomorrow evening at 9 (o\u2019clock).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" One stereotype of Germans is that we are punctual. Indeed, it is considered to be impolite in German culture to be late when you have an appointment with somebody. So whenever you are late it is always advisable to call or text the person you will meet and let him or her know that you…<\/p>\n